Banjot Kaur 
In the sixth episode of The Wire‘s video series on health, ‘Sawal Sehat Ka’, we bring to you an issue that doesn’t attract much attention but is affecting large swathes of the population in an unseen manner — mental health.
According to a World Health Organisation report, an estimated seven crore people suffer from various mental disorders in India, which go unrecognised and undiagnosed, but impact lives of people in many different ways. For the first part of this episode, The Wire spoke to several experts who say how these diseases may disrupt lives of people for years altogether without people often recognising the cause.
However, even if a diagnosis takes place, seeking mental healthcare remains a big taboo because of the unprecedented stigma attached with it. The stigma often comes from family members, friends and colleagues beside other players in the society discouraging people further. Add to this the factor of exorbitant cost of seeking this care further discouraging people.